Athletic sports training striking pad

ABSTRACT

A contact sport, primarily football, a striking pad that is suspended from a frame by straps is described herein. The tension of the straps allows the striking pad to be suspended on frames beside or above the pad providing versatility in frames for which to use.

BACKGROUND

The striking bag of the present invention is a pad designed to be struck in order to practice football. It is usually held by a person, hanging by chains or other similar material, or propped up by a series of metal sleds or spring attachments. This contact sports striking bag is propped up by tension straps and can be attached to a variety of frames. Frames include but are not limited to: power racks in the weight room, field goal posts on the football field, doorways, or prowler sleds. These straps provide resistance to aid the practitioner of contact sports.

The contact sports striking surface suspension support system may also be used in the development of physical strength. The striking surface is supported by straps and a frame which provide resistance to the practitioner. The practitioner may strike the striking surface with any limb, and the resistance of the striking surface will act as a stress against the practitioner's muscular system. The practitioner must recover from and adapt to this stress, meaning that the practice of striking or moving the bag inherently develops physical strength. Even if the practitioner's goals are to improve technique, or the way in which he or she strikes or moves the striking surface, muscular development is occurring simultaneously.

The contact sports striking surface suspension support system is designed to be used in the practice of contact sports. The main utility of the system is that it suspends or supports the striking surface with straps. If the striking surface is suspended, no portion of the striking surface touches the ground or other support structures other than the straps. If the striking surface is supported, then all or part of the weight of the striking surface is supported with straps while the remaining weight is supported or balanced by a structure including but not limited to a bench or the ground.

The purpose of suspending the striking surface is to provide a target for the practitioner of a contact sport to strike or move. The suspension allows the target to be struck or moved and then returned into place. This allows the practitioner of a contact sport to strike or move the striking surface and have it return to its initial starting point.

The purpose of supporting the striking surface is to allow the striking surface a different path to move once it has been acted upon. This allows for a greater variety of uses across a greater variety of sports. In one embodiment, the striking surface is suspended from straps on the top half right and top half left, and supported by a bench at the bottom. This allows the striking surface to spin at a rear-upward angle when acted upon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention, it is believed the present invention will be better understood from the following description of certain examples taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify the same elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a single configuration of the bands threaded through the straps in order to suspend the striking bag.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of the striking bag wherein one face of the striking bag contains seven straps, two larger straps generally disposed of in the middle of the striking bag and five larger straps disposed along the top and bottom edges of the striking bag.

FIG. 3 depicts a striking bag, as depicted in FIG. 1, suspended from a frame for use.

FIG. 4 depicts a single configuration of the bands attached to the straps of the striking bag when suspending the striking bag from overhead.

FIG. 5 depicts a striking bag, with bands as configured in FIG. 4, suspended from an American football field goal post.

FIG. 6 depicts a cross-section of a striking bag, revealing the filling surrounded by a durable cover.

The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of certain examples of the invention should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention. Other examples, features, aspects, embodiments, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, which is by way of illustration, one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different and obvious aspects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

The present invention is a contact sports training bag or pad that is suspended from any frame by means of tension straps. The contact sports striking surface suspension support system is designed to be used in the practice of contact sports including but not limited to football, wrestling, rugby, or the martial arts. The contact sports striking surface suspension support system is also a designed to be used in the development of physical strength.

The purpose of the straps is to suspend the striking surface from an object so that the striking surface may be used in the practice of contact sports. Straps can be made from but are not limited to the following materials: rubber, rubber bands, rubber tubing, elastic bands, bungee cords, rope, webbing, chains, fiberglass, graphite, metal, and any synthetic materials conducive to suspending a striking surface. The straps may be of one continuous piece attached to the striking surface and to the frame. Straps may also be two or more individual pieces attached to the striking surface and to the frame. Straps may be in the form of a loop, such as a rubber band, in the form of a line, such as a rope, a combination of the two, such as a lasso, or in the shape of a Y.

These straps can vary in material but are preferably elastic in nature. The tension of the straps holds the bag in place whether it is set up on a vertical post (e.g. a telephone pole) or horizontal post overhead (e.g. an American football field goal post). The straps can vary in their methods of attachment both to the striking surface and to the frame. In one embodiment, the straps loop through hoops on the bag and attach to the post with a Velcro looped adaptor.

The striking surface is the target for which the practitioner of the contact sport will aim to strike or move. In one embodiment, the strike surface is a foam pad wrapped in synthetic fabric, and rectangular in shape. The strike surface can be any shape or size so long as it is suspended or supported with straps from a frame. The strike surface may either be suspended entirely or rest partially on a fixed surface including but not limited to the ground or a bench and be supported partially by straps. The strike surface may be a variety of materials including but not limited to foam, wood, plastic, rubber, metal, or any material conducive to striking or moving for the purpose of contact sport practice.

The striking surface will generally have three to six points of attachment to the straps. These points are preferably on the rear face or side of the bag at each corner and in the rear top center and rear bottom center. The user of the bag determines the appropriate points of attachment when setting up the bag to the particular frame.

The straps will suspend the striking surface from the frame. A variation is possible where the bag is supported by straps but still resting on the ground or another object below.

The straps may run through the strike surface through a hoop or hook attached to the strike surface, or through a hole designed in the strike surface itself. The hoop or hook may be made of materials including but not limited to metal, fabric, webbing, and rope. With the threading system, the strap attaches to the frame then runs through the hoop, hook, or hole of the strike surface then exits the hoop, hook or hole and attaches to the other side of the frame. This can be done on the top half and bottom half of the strike surface to suspend the strike surface entirely or done at top half or bottom half only to leave the strike surface unstable for practicable purposes or for the remaining instability to be supported by a surface including but not limited to a bench or the ground. Another method included with threading is using one strap to support one portion of the bag to one post. This means attaching the strap to a frame post, running it through the hoop, hook, or hole of striking surface and then returning to the frame post from which the strap was initially attached. This can be done from one or more angles until the striking surface is attached to the desired suspension position. The hoop, hook, or hole may be relatively thin and built into the four corners of the strike surface, meaning there are four or more separate hoops, or may run the width of the bag at the top and bottom of the strike surface, meaning there are two long hoops with an opening on each end of the bag for the strap to exit and enter. There is also a hoop, hook, or hole positioned in strategic locations included but not limited to the center-top for assistance in attaching the strike surface to a frame post running parallel to the ground and overhead, and also a hoop, hook or hole positioned in the center-bottom for assistance in attaching the strike surface to a fixed or weighted attachment below the strike surface. Included in the threading method is the possibility of not only threading the strap through the bag but also tying it to a hoop, hook or hole for the purpose of securing more tightly.

The straps may be clipped on to the hoops, hooks, and holes with fasteners included but not limited to carabineers, Velcro straps, and any other fastener conducive to connecting a strap to a hoop or hook. In one embodiment, the strap features a carabineer at the end, said carabineer is clipped around the hoop or hook of the strap.

Whether threading or clipping, it is more practical and safe if the straps are attached to the rear facing side of the strike surface (the side the practitioner will not strike). This means that any hoops, hooks, and holes will be featured primarily on the rear of the strike surface. This does not exclude the contact sport striking surface suspension system from utilizing the hoop, hook and hole on the sides, tops, or front of bags.

The straps can be threaded or clipped to the striking surface to a number of possible pieces included but not limited to hoops, hooks, grommets, holes, and handles. These can be made of a variety of materials including but not limited to metal, fabric, webbing, and rope. These hoops, hooks, grommets, holes and handles are able to be positioned anywhere on or around the strike surface. In one embodiment, there are hoops in the rear top left corner of the strike surface, the rear top right corner, the rear bottom left corner, and the rear bottom right corner. In this embodiment, four straps are clipped to the strike surface, one at each hoop, and then attached to an adjacent frame post perpendicular to the ground.

It will be appreciated that any one or more of the teachings, expressions, versions, examples, etc. described herein may be combined with any one or more of the other teachings, expressions, versions, examples, etc. that are described herein. The following-described teachings, expressions, versions, examples, etc. should therefore not be viewed in isolation relative to each other. Various suitable ways in which the teachings herein may be combined will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

I. EXAMPLE 1

In some versions, the primary contact sport is football. A strike surface 1 (FIG. 6) is disposed on a pad 10 suitable for striking, in this case comprised of polyurethane foam on the inside and covered in a layer of vinyl fabric on the outside. A rear surface 20 is disposed on the opposite side of pad 10. In some versions, the shape of pad 10 may be rectangular. Some versions of pad 10 are five inches deep, sixteen and one-half inches wide, and twenty-six inches tall. Strike surface 1 may represent either a human torso or entire human body.

Referring to FIG. 1, a set of hoops 2 are disposed on rear surface 20 and used for strap attachments. Hoops 2 are polyester webbing and sewn onto the vinyl fabric of rear surface 20. The sewing is done on two ends of each strip of polyester webbing to provide a space between to act as the hoop. Hoops 2 are sewn on closely to the bag, so that when the straps attach there is not much slack between hoops 2 and rear surface 20 of pad 10. As show in FIG. 1, hoops 2 are located in a vertical orientation on rear surface 2 of pad 10. In other versions of pad 10, more hoops may be provided or may be provided in any orientation. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a hoop 3 is provided at approximately a forty-five degree angle relative to the horizon, a hoop 4 is provided generally horizontally, and a hoop 5 is provided in a generally vertical orientation, similar to hoops 2. Hoops 3, 4, 5 of FIG. 2 are located at seven locations to maximize the amount of places this bag can potentially be used.

Referring now to FIG. 6, pad 10 is filled with a foam 19 and surrounded with a sturdy vinyl cover 18 in order to provide a durable yet tolerant surface to strike.

Referring now to FIG. 4, hoops 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are provided for hanging pad 10 from frames overhead and below, respectively, as depicted in FIG. 5. In the version of pad 10 depicted in FIG. 4, hoops 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are provided at angles 45 degrees relative to the horizontal edges of the bag, leaving an opening on the middle to be known as the hoop. The directions of the hoops are such that if the hoops were longer they would intersect in the shape of a diamond, not the shape of an x. These hoops, known as the corner hoops, provide the support for this embodiment of the bag. Some versions of the hoops 3, 4 or 5 are two inches wide, six inches long (four inches of the webbing are sewn onto pad 10, meaning the opening is two inches wide), and made out of polyester webbing. To provide maximum stability they are positioned as close to the outer edges of pad 10 as possible. Each corner of pad 10 is supported by a strap tethered to one of these hoops.

Pad 10 works in conjunction with straps to hold pad 10 at the desired level off the ground. Referring now to FIG. 1, some versions of the straps available to use with pad 10 are depicted as a strap 8A or a strap 8B. Both straps 8A and 8B are generally removable rubber bands. There are ways to use pad 10 with one or multiple straps; in this case there are two straps illustrating two different versions and configurations available to the user. Disposed on each end of straps 8A or 8B are loops. As shown in FIG. 1, loop 9A is disposed at the end of strap 8A, while loop 8B is disposed at the end of strap 8B. Loop 9A is a carabiner style loop with a rigid loop and pivoting lock structure to allow a user to quickly lock loop 9A onto any desired cooperating connector. Loop 9B is a simple doubling back of the material of strap 8B to form a common loop. Look 9B is not able to be opened or closed by the user. Thus, loop 9A is may be opened or closed by the user to form a connection with strap 8A, while loop 9B may not.

There are many ways to use pad 10 with different shaped straps. For example, straps 8A and 8B are bands sized one and a half inches wide each. They are commonly known as exercise bands or resistance bands in strength training communities. There are many ways to fasten the straps 8A,8B to hoops 2, 3, 4, or 5. In some versions of pad 10, straps 8 and/or 9 are threaded through hoops 2, 3, 4, or 5, i.e. the ends of straps 8 and/or 9 are pushed underneath the opening between the respective hoop 2, 3, 4, or 5 and rear surface 20 of pad 10. More particularly, strap 8A is threaded through from the outside of pad 10, under the first hoop 2, toward the center of the pad 10, under the second hoop 2, and out to the other side of pad 10. Strap 8A should at this point be visible on each side of pad 10 and under hoops 2. If the user were to pick up each end of the strap 8A, the entire pad 10 should lift with it. Next, the strap 8B is threaded through from the outside of pad 10 under the first hoop 2, toward the center of the bag, under the second hoop 2, and out to the other side of pad 10. Strap 8B should at this point be visible on each side of pad 10 and under hoops 2.

Referring still to FIG. 1, strap 8A and strap 8B should be visible on each side of pad 10 once straps 8A, 8B are threaded under hoops 2. Referring now to FIG. 3, the connection to a frame 12 is the next step. In this embodiment, the frame 12 is a steel power rack. The power rack is a device used in strength training. It is very heavy, meaning it will have little give when absorbing the impact of powerful strikes, and designed to accept hundreds to thousands of pounds of force. In this embodiment, frame 12 is eight feet tall. It has four eight-foot vertical posts 13 connected to each other by a series of two to four foot horizontal posts for maximum stability. The front face of the frame 12 is devoid of any horizontal posts 21 below the overhead height, making this an ideal place to situate pad 10.

Referring still to FIG. 3, the power rack has a series of attachments to enhance strength training. Some of these attachments, such as a J-hook 22 are suitable for attaching strap 8A by way of loop 9A. J-hook 22 is a metal hook that attaches to the power rack and is removable and adjustable. In this embodiment, there are four J-hooks 22. They attach to the power rack in the way that this power rack manufacturer has designed. In this embodiment, the J-hook 22 has a one inch diameter pin that slides through an existing hole in the power rack while J-hook 22 is facing parallel the ground. Once the one inch pin slides through the existing hole in the power rack, J-Hook 22 is turned so that it is perpendicular to the ground. Oftentimes manufacturers of power racks will design the device so that gravity essentially locks J-Hook 22 into place. The result is a two inch metal hook capable of holding hundreds of pounds. In this embodiment, the user will set J-hook 22 at shoulder height on the left and right front uprights of the power rack. The user will then connect loop 9A to a complementary connector provided by the corresponding J-hook 22 of frame 12.

Strap 8B may be connected to frame 12 by placing an end of horizontal post 21 into and through loop 9B to hold an end of strap 8B to frame 12. This is repeated on the other side of strap 8B to connect the entirety of strap 8B to frame 12

An example method of connecting pad 10 to frame 12 is as follows. The user will take loop 9A disposed at a first end of strap 8A and hold it in place with one hand and connect it with the corresponding J-hook 22 of frame 12. The user will take loop 9A disposed at a second end of strap 8A in the other hand and connect it with the corresponding J-hook 22 of frame 22. Pad 10 should now be hanging in frame 12. The next step is to set strap 8B so that strike surface 1 rests at a predictable angle with respect to the user. The user will take the loop 9B disposed at a first end of strap 8B and hold it in place. The user will take loop 9B disposed at a second end of strap 8B and wrap it around the corresponding protruding end of horizontal post 21 of frame 22 at knee height. The user will then take the other end of strap 8B and wrap it around the corresponding protruding end of horizontal post 21 at knee height. Pad 10 should now be suspended in the air with straps 8A and 8B protruding out near each corner of pad 10 and connected with frame 12 in the two exemplary manners.

The preferred usage of pad 10 is to hit strike surface 1 with two-hands simultaneously. Pad 10 will move with the strike though straps 8A and 8B will resist the strike movement and pull pad 10 back into place once the striker is no longer providing force.

The tension provided by straps 8A and/or 8B may be adjustable to alter the force required to move pad 10 from its resting position. The tension adjustment may be made through changing the length of straps 8A and/or 8B by way of an adjuster element or by looping strap 8A and/or 8B back upon itself multiple times.

II. EXAMPLE 2

Another embodiment utilizes the same premise and structure of pad 10, as described in Example 1, while suspending and using pad 10 in a different manner.

Referring to FIG. 4, straps 6A and 6B are attached to pad 10. Straps 6A and 6B may be attached to hoops 3A, 3B, 3C, and/or 3D by a wide variety of means, including Velcro straps or simply looping straps 6A and/or 6B around hoops 3A, 3B, 3C, and/or 3D. Further, straps 6A and/or 6B may split as depicted in FIG. 4 or multiple straps may be utilized for the same effect. Strap 6A is attached to hoops 3C and 3D and strap 6B is attached to hoops 3A and 3B to provide overall top and bottom stability and a connection point for each end of pad 10.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the free end of strap A may be attached to a frame above pad 10 to secure the upper portion of pad 10. In this embodiment, the frame is a traditional American football field goal post 16 having a cross bar 17 extending horizontally, whereby strap 6A is attached to cross bar 17. In order to facilitate the connection of strap 6A to cross bar 17, strap 6A may be looped around cross bar 17 and connected with itself.

The free end of strap 6B may be attached to a weighted object 13 to secure the lower portion of pad 10. Weighted object 13 may be any object sufficiently heavy to hold pad 10 suspended in place and provide resistance for its use. Some non-exhaustive examples of weight object 13 include dumbbells, weight plates, or sandbags.

For added stability, an additional strap 7 may be attached to pad 10 by hoop 4. The opposite end of strap 7 may include a weighted ball 15, such as a softball or a tennis ball. Weighted ball 15 is then thrown or otherwise looped over cross-bar 17 to provide the connection between strap 7 and cross bar 17.

Referring still to FIG. 5, once properly suspended pad 10 is ready for use, with striking surface 1 facing the user. The preferred usage of pad 10 is to strike pad 10 with two-hands simultaneously upon strike surface 1. Pad 10 will move with the strike. Straps 6A, 6B, and 7 will resist the strike movement and pull pad 10 back into place once the striker is no longer providing force.

III. MISCELLANEOUS

It should be understood that any of the examples described herein may include various other features in addition to or in lieu of those described above. By way of example only, any of the examples described herein may also include one or more of the various features disclosed in any of the various references that are incorporated by reference herein.

It should be understood that any one or more of the teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein may be combined with any one or more of the other teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. that are described herein. The above-described teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. should therefore not be viewed in isolation relative to each other. Various suitable ways in which the teachings herein may be combined will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

It should be appreciated that any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.

Having shown and described various versions of the present invention, further adaptations of the methods and systems described herein may be accomplished by appropriate modifications by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Several of such potential modifications have been mentioned, and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, the examples, versions, geometrics, materials, dimensions, ratios, steps, and the like discussed above are illustrative and are not required. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be considered in terms of the following claims and is understood not to be limited to the details of structure and operation shown and described in the specification and drawings. 

I claim:
 1. A sport training device, comprising: (a) a striking surface; (b) a rear surface; (c) a plurality of hoops attached to the rear surface; and (d) a plurality of straps attached to the plurality of hoops, wherein the plurality of straps are configured to suspend the pad from an object.
 2. The sport training device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hoops include at least two hoops.
 3. The sport training device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of straps include at least two straps.
 4. The sport training device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of straps are attached to the plurality of hoops by a fastening means.
 5. The sport training device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of straps are threaded through the plurality of hoops.
 6. A sport training device, comprising: (a) a pad; (b) a striking surface disposed on the pad; (c) a rear surface disposed on the pad; (d) a plurality of hoops attached to the rear surface; (e) a plurality of straps, wherein the plurality of straps are passed through the hoops, wherein at least one of the plurality of straps are configured to suspend the pad; and (f) a weighted object attached to at least one of the plurality of straps, wherein the weighted object hangs from a bottom portion of the pad.
 7. The sport training device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of hoops include at least two hoops.
 8. The sport training device of claim 6, wherein the straps include at least two straps.
 9. The sport training device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of straps are attached to the plurality of hoops by a fastening means.
 10. The sport training device of claim 6, wherein the weighted object is a dumbbell.
 11. The sport training device of claim 6, wherein the device is suspended from a football field goal post.
 12. A method of operating a sport training device comprising a pad having a striking surface and a rear surface; a plurality of hoops disposed on the rear surface; and a plurality of straps extending through the plurality of hoops, the method comprising: (a) hanging the pad from a suitable object by at least one of the plurality of straps; (b) adjusting at least one of the plurality of straps to alter the movement resistance between the suitable object and the pad; (c) applying an external force to the striking surface against the movement resistance of the plurality of straps to move the pad in a first direction; (d) removing the external force; and (e) in response to removing the external force, allowing the resistance of the straps to move the pad in a second direction. 